For a tree, the word hickory comes from Algonquin (an Indian nation in North America) word “pawcohiccora.” However, it is improbable that hickory trees could have anything to do with the nursery rhyme. Who knows why the count ends at ten if the clock dial has two more digits? Maybe it’s because little kids usually first only learn to count to ten? Nut Tree Shepherds used to count their sheep using these words even when they already spoke English. 6.Hickory Dickory Dock, The hen pecked at the. Hickory Dickory Dock Traditional & 5.Hickory Dickory Dock, The bee buzzed round the clock, The clock struck five, She went to her hive, Hickory Dickory Dock. The old tongues were still very much alive in the Middle Ages, in some cases until the nineteenth century. 4.Hickory Dickory Dock, The bear slept by the clock, The clock struck four, He ran out the door, Hickory Dickory Dock. The words hickory, dickory and dock come from an ancient Celtic language that was spoken in the British Isles long before English and they mean numbers: eight, nine and ten. It’s nothing but a simple children’s counting rhyme with words that mimic the sounds of an antique clock ticking and chiming on the wall. This nursery rhyme has no particular historical background or hidden meaning. The clock struck four, the mouse said “No more!” The clock struck three, the mouse said “WHEE!” The clock struck two, the mouse said “BOO!” The clock struck one, the mouse ran down. Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The fourth line has several other different versions: “down the mouse run”, “and down he run” and “down the mouse ran”.Ĭomplete (longer) version of Hickory Dickory Dock:

Hickery dickery dock clock